• Anyone else want to learn another easy way to classify chords?

    in Theory

    Most people just classify chords by name and chord quality (major vs minor, augmented vs diminished).

    But today, I want to show you another world. Here’s how to think of chords by the number of notes they contain.

    This will be short and to the point.

     

    Triads

    Music theorists still argue over whether a chord officially starts with 2 or 3 tones played at the same time. It seems like 3 is more accepted. But for the sake of knowing, I’ll give you the name of a two-note combination at the end of this post.

    But, for now, let’s start with the popular “triad.”

    Any time you have a collection of three notes played together, you’re playing a triad.

    Most basic chords fall under this category.

    • major triad (e.g. – C major: C + E + G)
    • minor triad (e.g. – C minor: C + Eb + G)
    • diminished triad (e.g. – C diminished: C + Eb + Gb)
    • augmented triad (e.g. – C augmented: C + E + G#)

    So any time you hear, “give me a _______ triad,” that’s only asking for a 3-toned chord. Don’t give the composer or music director more than that! After all, in some arrangements, less is better.

     

    Tetrads

    Then next, there is what we call “tetrads.”

    These are chords using four notes. Seventh chords are essentially tetrads.

    • major seventh (e.g. – C major 7: C + E + G + B)
    • minor seventh (e.g. – C minor 7: C + Eb + G + Bb)
    • diminished seventh (e.g. – C diminished 7: C + Eb + Gb + Bbb)
    • augmented seventh (e.g. – C augmented 7: C + E + G# + Bb)

     

    Pentads

    Chords using five notes are called “pentads.” Yes, that sounds like the pentatonic scale from this lesson (5-tone scale).

    (In fact, there’s such a thing as tritonic and tetratonic scales too! But let’s save that for another lesson.)

    Ninths are a form of pentads.

    For example, C major 9 is C + E + G + B + D. Five notes!

    Again, it’s just a general term for a chord with 5 notes.

    Hexads and Heptads

    And lastly, “hexads” and “heptads” are the names given to 6 and 7-toned chords, respectively.

    An example of a hexad is an eleventh chord and an example of a heptad is a thirteenth chord.

     

    Other classifications

    I also promised to give you the name of a 2-toned combination, even though its merit as a chord is questionable…

    We call those “dyads.” Others choose to just reference them as “intervals.” Power chords and tritones fall under this category.

    And for extra credit, a “monad” is a single note. The “chromatic scale” comes to mind, which is basically composed of twelve monads.

    So there you have it! A really fact-filled, reference post for today!

    So if you ever hear me referencing any of these, you should now know what they mean!

    Exercise: Let’s try to think of every tetrad we can! I’ll start it off!

    Until next time —

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    Hi, I'm Jermaine Griggs, founder of this site. We teach people how to express themselves through the language of music. Just as you talk and listen freely, music can be enjoyed and played in the same way... if you know the rules of the "language!" I started this site at 17 years old in August 2000 and more than a decade later, we've helped literally millions of musicians along the way. Enjoy!




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